Peripheral offset to prevent body scratches



March 965 w. H..SCHOENFELD, JR 3,172,448

PERIPHERAL OFFSET TO PREVENT BODY SCRATCHBS Filed May 19. 1961 BY g5 //Za //J United States Patent 3,172,448 PERIPHERAL OFFSET T0 PREVENT BODY SCRATCHES William Hamilton Schoenfeld, In, Crystal Lake, llll.,

assiguor to American Can Company, New York, N.Y.,

a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 19, 1961, Ser. No. 111,203 3, Claims. (Cl. 153-2) This invention relates to apparatus interassociated with can-making machinery for providing offset surfaces on can bodies which prevent marring of the partially or entirely lithographed or otherwise coated surface of the can bodies and to the can bodies equipped with those offset surfaces.

It is well known in the art of can making that can bodies are first made in the form of planar or flat sheets or blanks from strips of raw material. Following this blanking operation these blanks are usually coated, printed or otherwise decorated on at least one and sometimes on both surfaces. Thereafter, the blanks are fed into a can body making machine, for example, the machine disclosed in United States Patent 1,770,041 issued July 8, 1930 to J. F. Peters on Roll Bodymaker, for conversion into cylindrical can bodies with one of the blank surfaces ending up on the inside of the can body and with the other blank surface ending up on the outer side of the can body. In some instances during the manufacture of the can body the cylindrical body is supported by a member extending through and positioned internally thereof. In some instances during the manufacture of the can body the cylindrical body is supported by supporting structure extending longitudinally of and positioned externally thereof.

The main objective of the present invention is to provide the apparatus which transforms the can blank into a cylindrical can body and positions it in the supporting structure with means to provide the can body with olfset surfaces to space the decorated surface of the can body from the supporting structure.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

FIGURE 1 is a schematic illustration in perspective illustrating the features of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of a can body incorporating the present invention and supported by an internal supporting structure.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of a can body incorporating the present invention and supported by external supporting structure.

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of the rolls used in the apparatus of FIGURE 1 to provide the can body with internal spacing flanges.

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of an alternate set of rolls which may be substituted for those of FIGURE 1 to provide external flanges on the can body to space the outer decorated surface from an external supporting structure, as illustrated in FIGURE 3.

The apparatus incorporating the features of the invention is illustrated in FIGURE 1 in the form of a horn about which a can blank 11 is being fed by means of a pair of rolls consisting of an internal roll 12 and an external roll 13, an arrangement substantially similar to that shown in FIG. 23 of the above-identified Peters Patent 1,770,041. As illustrated, the cylindrical portion of the can blank which defines a portion of the can body has an internal surface 14 spaced from a horn 10 and an external surface 15. In this instance, it is desired to protect the internal surface 14 from contact with 3,172,443 Patented Mar. 9, 1965 "ice horn 10 for such practical purposes as are apparent when the internal surface 14 is decorated or coated or otherwise finished. As illustrated in FIGURE 4 this is accomplished by providing internal roll 12 with small diameter end portions 12a at opposite ends thereof and by providing external roll 13 with large diameter end portions 13a at opposite ends thereof. Small diameter end portions 12a and large diameter portions 13:: interfit with each other in such manner that the longitudinal edges of can blank 11 are provided with marginal flanges 16 and 17 offset inwardly from the external surface 15 and extending peripherally about the offset ends of the blank 11. These offset flanges form continuous surfaces and thereby provide spacing of the inner surface 14 from horn 10 throughout the circumference thereof to prevent marring of the inner surface by abrasive rubbing contact between it and the horn.

In some instances, it is desired to protect the external surface 115 from contact with supporting body horses 110, for example, such as are used in soldering side seams and for such practical purposes as are apparent when the external surface 115 is decorated or coated or otherwise finished.

FIGURE 3 illustrates in cross-section the supporting of the can body by horses with the outer surface spaced therefrom. The can body 111 may be roll formed in the same manner as hereinbefore described as it is fed through a pair of rolls including an internal roll 112 and an external roll 113. As illustrated in FIGURE 5 the internal roll 112 is provided with large diameter end portions 112a and the external roll 113 is provided with small diameter end portions 113a. These large and small end portions 112a and 113a respectively interfit with each other in such manner that the ends of the can body 111 are provided with outwardly offset marginal flanges 116 and 117. These offset flanges form surfaces which provide spacing of the outer surface 114 from the horses 110 throughout the circumference thereof. It is thus apparent that in both modifications illustrated and described herein the rolls which fed the blank into a tubular can body simultaneously provide peripheral offset flanges on both ends of the can body to space the decorated surface from the supporting structure which supports the can body in the apparatus for making it.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In a roll bodymaker apparatus for making can bodies, said apparatus including a stationary forming horn and a pair of coacting feeding rolls interassociated with said forming horn for feeding flat can body blanks sequentially therearound, that improvement in said feed ing rolls comprising:

a first feeding roll recessed and rotatably mounted within said forming horn and having a longitudinal axis extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said forming horn; and

a second feeding roll rotatably mounted parallel and in spaced juxtaposition to said first feeding roll;

said first and second feeding rolls both having cylindrical body portions for engaging the central portion of a flat can body blank and feeding the same around said forming horn;

said first and second feeding rolls also both having stepped end portions at the extremities of said body portions for engaging the marginal edges of a flat can body blank and producing at said edges, flat marginal flanges which are offset from but parallel to the central portion of said can body blank, said marginal flanges spacing said central portion from said forming born as said body blank is fed therearound; i said stepped end portions on each of said feeding rolls being cylindrical but diametrically dissimilar to the cylindrical body portion with which they are associated. I 2. In a roll bodyrnaker apparatus as defined in claim 1, improved feeding rolls wherein the stepped end portions of said first feeding roll are diametrically larger than the body portion thereof and wherein the stepped end portions of said second feeding roll are diametrically smaller than the body portion thereof.

3. In a roll bodymaker' apparatus as defined in claim 1, improved feeding rolls wherein the stepped end portions of said first feeding roll are diametrically smaller than therbodyr portion thereof and wherein the stepped end 5 portions of said second feeding roll 'arediarnetrically larger than the, body portion thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A ROLL BODYMAKER APPARATUS FOR MAKING CAN BODIES, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING A STATIONARY FORMING HORN AND A PAIR OF COACTING FEEDING ROLLS INTERASSOCIATED WITH SAID FORMING HORN FOR FEEDING FLAT CAN BODY BLANKS SEQUENTIALLY THEREAROUND, THAT IMPROVEMENT IN SAID FEEDING ROLLS COMPRISING: A FIRST FEEDING ROLL RECESSED AND ROTATABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID FORMING HORN AND HAVING A LONGITUDINAL AXIS EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID FORMING HORN; AND A SECOND FEEDING ROLL ROTATABLY MOUNTED PARALLEL AND IN SPACED JUXTAPOSITION TO SAID FIRST FEEDING ROLL; SAID FIRST AND SECOND FEEDING ROLLS BOTH HAVING CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTIONS FOR ENGAGING THE CENTRAL PORTION OF A FLAT CAN BODY BLANK AND FEEDING THE SAME AROUND SAID FORMING HORN; SAID FIRST AND SECOND FEEDING ROLLS ALSO BOTH HAVING STEPPED END PORTIONS AT THE EXTREMITIES OF SAID BODY PORTIONS FOR ENGAGING THE MARGINAL EDGES OF A FLAT CAN BODY BLANK AND PRODUCING AT SAID EDGES, FLAT MARGINAL FLANGES WHICH ARE OFFSET FROM BUT PARALLEL TO THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID CAN BODY BLANK, SAID MARGINAL FLANGES SPACING SAID CENTRAL BODY BLANK, SAID SAID FORMING HORN AS SAID BODY BLANK IS FED THEREAROUND; SAID STEPPED END PORTIONS ON EACH OF SAID FEEDING ROLLS BEING CYLINDRICAL BUT DIAMETRICALLY DISSIMILAR TO THE CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION WITH WHICH THEY ARE ASSOCIATED. 